A Dragon Rose
by 7th Librarian
Summary: Seto Kaiba. CEO. World-Champion Class Gamer. Inventor of the Duel Disk. And rival to the King of Games himself. The man who has everything. And a man who has no time or concern for trivial things such as 'love'. Even so, for him, this rose will bloom. First in my Blueshipping series.


A Dragon Rose  
7th Librarian

A/N: _If is your first time reading this story, welcome! I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing this and please, leave a review telling me your thoughts. Good or bad- constructive criticism is what helps make an author better. _

_If you've read this story before and are wondering what the heck it's doing back on the site and under a different name, please read my profile page to find out. And to my previous reviewers, my apologies for making you review it again. -bows- Thank you for understanding!_

And now, enjoy!

TTTTTT

He hated this.

Seto Kaiba had never been a person of inactivity. He was always doing _something_, even if it was just checking KaibaCorp stock or reading news articles on the latest advances in science. In fact, he was proud of his drive. After, his ceaseless determination had dragged him and Mokuba out of that orphanage and gave him ownership of KaibaCorp. It had given him the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons and it was what had propelled him to be a World Champion and to even create the first holographic dueling arenas.

It was also what kept him trying to defeat Yugi in a duel, but he didn't want to get into that just now…

Despite the fact that he was completely alone in the waiting room, the CEO resisted the urge to get up and pace. Where was all this excess energy coming from? He'd never felt this restless before, not when he'd attend his first board meeting as CEO or before his duel with Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, not even before his duel with Yugi at Battle City.

Allowing himself a small sigh, Seto reached over to the next seat and pulled his laptop into the spot it was named for, determined to put some of this energy to a constructive use. Flipping up the screen, he thumbed the power on and the device hummed quietly as it warmed up…

Unbidden, the hum triggered a memory….

TTTTTTTT

"_Big brother?"_

"_What is it, Mokuba?" Seto didn't glance up from his desk computer as he continued typing. These stupid__ patent forms to so long to fill out, it was a wonder that they didn't expire before he finished them. "I'm kind of busy right now."_

"_Why don't you have a girlfriend?"_

_The CEO's fingers stopped moving and he glanced up over the screen, where his little brother was staring at him from over the back of the couch. "What did you say?"_

_Mokuba rolled his eyes. He knew his big brother had heard him perfectly. "I asked why you don't have a girlfriend."_

_Seto looked at him for a moment more and then snorted, returning his attention to the screen. "I don't have time for such a frivolous pursuit. I've got a company to run."_

_The younger Kaiba sighed. "You always say that, Seto. I'm kinda worried about you. You're always working or dueling and staying up late. I just thought a girlfriend would help you relax more…"_

"_Hmm…" Seto felt his expression soften a little, even as he continued to work. He never liked to worry his little brother. And maybe Mokuba did have a point there. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't ha__d a screen in front of him. And every night this last couple of weeks, he'd gone to bed well after the sun had gone down. "Maybe you're right, Mokuba…After I finish this week's reports, we'll go to Kaibaland and-"_

_Mokuba shook his head, cutting off his brother. "That's not what I mean, Seto! Even if we did go, you'd just be dragged off to work a project or an idea for a new ride and besides, this isn't about me, it's about you. What was the last thing you did for just you, Seto Kaiba?"_

_Fingers paused in typing and blue eyes fixed on the head of black hair across the room. "I thought I told you not to watch those daytime talk shows. Especially Doctor Phil."_

"_I haven't…" Mokuba glanced away and he spoke a little quieter. "It's just that…it's always been you __and me…and I guess I want someone like mom to be here, so we could be a real family…"_

"_We are a real family, Mokuba. We don't need anyone else."_

_Anger flashed in those blue eyes as the younger Kaiba fixed a fierce glare at his brother. "No, we're not a real family! You're always busy and you never take any time for yourself or me, big brother!"_

_Seto stood, trying to control his anger at his brother, but his face showed that he was having a hard time of it. "I'm the adult, Mokuba. I have to do these things, like file reports and invent things and go to board meetings. And every single that I do is for us, so that we can have the things that we do. KaibaCorp doesn't run itself."_

"_That's just it!" Mokuba was on his feet, actually yelling at his big brother, some__thing that Kaiba could never recall happening before. "KaibaCorp! It's always KaibaCorp! You don't run the company, the company runs you, Seto!"_

"_Mokuba…!"Seto stared and reached for his brother, but Mokuba had already turned around and stormed out the doo__r. And for the first time in a long time, Seto Kaiba had no idea what to do._

TTTTTTTT

Seto stared at the computer, at the stocks and shares and percentiles that were on its screen. Suddenly, they didn't seem very important or interesting anymore…

He shut the laptop and put it aside before running a hand down his face. Suddenly, he felt so tired, all the energy drained out of him. What time was it? And where the hell was the doctor or a nurse or somebody? Surely, somebody besides himself had to be here!

The CEO stood and made his way to the desk in the waiting room, ready to demand some answers (which he knew he would get. When you are Seto Kaiba and you demand something, it happens), but paused when he caught his reflection It was the same one he had seen so many times, white, studded trenchcoat, brown hair cropped close to his head and same penetrating blue eyes.

His eyes fixed on a thin, white scar on his cheek. Normally, it wasn't even visible, but the light was striking it just right and now it stood out in stark relief against his skin. Automatically, his hand came up to it and a finger traced the scar's path, as another memory came to him; the night had gotten this scar. It had been an hour or so after Mokuba had stormed out…

TTTTTTTT

_He stalked down the street, the night air feeling especially sharp against his anger-flushed skin. What he was angry about, he really didn't know. Maybe he was mad at the weather, for being so damn cold or maybe his company for being so time-consuming. Or maybe it was Yugi, beating him so many times. Maybe it was Mokuba, for being kind and caring when the CEO rather him not._

_Maybe he was mad at himself._

_After Mokuba had stormed off, Kaiba had sat back down, intending to finish the patent and thing talk with his little brother in morning. Only to find…that he had hadn't been able. Instead, he sat there, hands on the keyboard, staring at the screen, his thoughts scattered._

_Finally, he'd given up on the patent, put on his coat and headed outside for a walk, pausing outside of Mokuba's door. Maybe he should go in and apologize to his brother for shouting at him…_

_Then Mokuba's harsh words came back to him and Seto continued past his brother's room, knowing it be useless to talk to him now…_

_Once outside, the CEO had found himself in an odd position. He didn't know where to go. Oh, he knew the location of the Kame Game shop, Domino High School, various stores and businesses were located, but why go to them? He only went to non-KaibaCorp buildings as a necessity and left when whatever he was doing at the building was finished. No reason to stay any longer than that._

_Finally, he decided to just start walking in one direction and go from there._

_Thoughts of the Kame Game shop crossed his mind. He knew Yugi, as nice as the smaller duelist was, would let him in without a second thought. Probably ask him to sit down, make some hot chocolate and ask Kaiba what was wrong…_

_He dismissed the idea with a snort of mild amusement. The idea of spilling his heart to his rival was ludicrous, especially since Seto himself didn't know what was making him so angry._

_No…_

_He did know. He just didn't want to admit it._

_The whole reason he had challenged his step-father to that chess game, gotten control of KaibaCorp, why he did almost everything, was so that Mokuba wouldn't have to miss out on the life he'd never had. Seto wanted Mokuba to grow up as a regular child, to have friends and go to school and not have to worry about a company or a dictator of a step-father._

_But now, he realized that all Seto had been doing was denying his younger brother that childhood, simply because the CEO never tried to be a family for his brother._

"_What's wrong, babe? Don't you like being friendly?"_

_The voice pulled him out of his ruminations. He slowed his pace a step or two, trying to figure out where it was coming from._

"_Why are you looking so scared for? We just to help you warm up. You're cold, right?" The speaker's voice was snake-oil smooth and was coming from the alley just up ahead._

_Seto came to a stop at the entrance to the alley, a lonely streetlamp his only illumination. His eyes narrowed at the sight of three people in bawdy leather jackets – teenage gang member's, most likely – standing around a fourth figure, who was backed against the wall at the alley's far end._

"_Please__…" The figure spoke. Definitely female. Definitely scared. "Just leave me alone…I don't __want __any trouble…"_

"_It's not any trouble at all, right, boys?" The speaker-the center one- said. "We're just doin' our public service, helping out a fellow citizen." The thu__gs all took a step closer to the girl and she whimpered._

"_The only way you three could ever serve the public is by staying off the streets." Seto stepped into the alley._

"_Huh?" They all turned around and the middle one chuckled. "Look, boys, we got us a w__annabe-hero." He grinned darkly and made a shooing gesture at Seto. "Run along home, hero. This isn't your problem."_

"_I'm making it my problem." Seto moved until he was standing about a couple of yards away from them. "So why don't you solve my problem by __getting the hell out of here?"_

"_Oh, I'll solve your problem, alright." The middle one cracked his knuckles. "It'll get me warmed up for the real show." He added, with a lecherous glance at the woman behind him._

"_But…Tyson…" One of the other two thugs, a te__en who had spiky orange hair, stammered, "That's…that's…Seto Kaiba! Seto Kaiba! You really want to mess with him?"_

"_I'd listen to your friend. At least he's got some brains."__ The CEO stood confidently, hands at his sides._

"_Keh, he's just a spoiled rich kid." Tyson charged, fist pulled back to strike. "This will take no time at all!"_

_Easily side-stepping the punch, Seto snared his left arm around the kid's neck, and pushed Tyson's head down at the same he brought up his knee. The resulting crack filled the alleyway._

_Letting Tyson drop to the ground, he glanced at the other two. "Well? Aren't you two going to try your luck?"_

_Orange-hair glanced at Tyson, who was groaning and clutching his broken nose and then at Kaiba before backing up against the alley wall, shaking his head._

_The other one, who had sunglasses on, had other ideas. "You jerk!" He lunged at the CEO._

_(Too easy.) Again, Seto side-stepped the attack, letting Sunglasses lunge past him. Then his eyes widened Sunglasses spun on his heel, a switch-blade suddenly in his hand. Seto jerked back, but wasn't fast enough. He felt the knife nick him, warm blood trickling down his skin._

_Sunglasses grinned and attempted a follow-up stab, but Seto caught his wrist and jabbed two fingers expertly into his neck. The punk dropped instantly, gasping._

_Orange-hair dashed past the CEO in panic as his two buddies moaned and groaned, getting to their feet before fleeing as well. Seto ignored them and instead turned towards the woman they had been threatening._

_She was a few inches shorter than he was, wrapped in a long brown duster that was worn from long use. Odd blue/white hair fell down past her shoulders and contrasted with her coat. "Are you hurt?"_

"_Ah…" The girl stared at him for a long moment with deep blue eyes, then shook her head. "No. They didn't even touch me. Thank you."_

"_It was nothing." He said and then he noticed the concern in her eyes. "What?"_

_Oh, you're bleeding!" The girl dug around in her pocket and produced a handkerchief, pressing it against the wound._

_For a moment, Seto didn't know how to react. It'd been years since anyone had gone and outright touched him with asking his permission._

_Then his senses came back to him. "Thank you, but I'm fine." He pushed her hand away. "You should go home. It's not safe at night." He turned and started towards the street. "And I won't always be here to protect you."_

"_I…don't have a home…" Her voice was a whisper._

"_So?" He glanced at her ov__er his shoulder. "Go ask your family for some help."_

"_I don't have a family…" She glanced down, ashamed, as she pulled her duster tighter around her. "My parents…died…when I was a little girl…and they never told me if I have any other relatives."_

_(I should just leave.) He thought. (Just give her some money and leave. I don't have time for sob stories and charity cases.) But he didn't. Instead, he found his lips moving, almost of their accord. "What's your name?"_

_She glanced up at him. "Kisara."_

TTTTTTTT

"Mister Kaiba?"

He turned away, pulled out of the memory. A nurse stood in the doorway, a clipboard in hand. "What is it? Is there any change?"

She nodded. "Yes. The tests results came back negative and her condition is stabilizing. But she's not out of the woods yet."

"Good." He moved towards the door determinedly.

The nurse stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Seto continued walking, ready to push her aside if he had to.

"You cannot go in there." She glared at him. "This is still a dangerous time for her, Mister Kaiba."

"All the more reason I should be in there." He glared back, a glare that had made grown men cower in fear.

But apparently, the nurse was immune to his dearth glare because she didn't budge an inch. "She's under sedation right now and she has an entire team of doctors with her. Your presence in there would only be a hindrance and an added complexity that is not needed. Surely you understand the need for keeping things simple, Mister Kaiba." She turned and stared walking back down the hall way. "We'll come for you as soon as anything changes."

He stared at the closing door, half-tempted to try and follow her anyway. After all, he was the one paying their salaries.

But finally, he just settled for glaring and sat back down in his seat, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath cleansing breath to relieve his stress.

It was kind of funny. A little over a couple of years ago, he'd never even considered that he'd ever be in this type of situation. But then, life had a way of messing with your life for no apparent reasons.

Like when he had taken Kisara to just spend that night at his house.

Then she stayed the next day.

And then the next day.

And the next.

Then a week.

Two weeks.

A month.

Another memory slid to the forefront, one of only a few days after she'd moved in…

TTTTTTTT

_Seto didn't even pause in his typing as a series of knocks sounded on his office door. "Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm busy."_

_The door clicked open and blue-haired figure slid in side, a tray with a serving dish on it held in her hands. "Are you busy?"_

"_Didn't I just say I was?" He grabbed a sheet of paper and glanced at it and the computer screen, making sure they matched. "What do you want?"_

"_I…I made you some dinner." She murmured, w__alking up to his desk._

_The CEO watched as she set it down in an empty spot on his desk. "Why?"_

_She blinked at him. "Why what?"_

"_Why did you make me dinner?" The keys clicked under his dancing fingers, almost one continuous sound. "You are not an employee o__r maid. You're not paid for it."_

"_Oh…" Kisara glanced away, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. "I just…wanted to thank you for saving me and giving me a place to stay…"_

"_You could have just said 'thank you'. It makes no difference to me."_

"_Well…it do__es to me…" She glanced at him, but his attention was still focused on the screen. "I'll just leave it here, then…"_

_Seto continued typing, even after he heard the door click shut. Then, after a few minutes…he stopped and reached over, pulling the cover off the dish. "At least it smells good…"_

TTTTTTTTT

And it had been good. Not overly terrific, but good. It was one of the many small niceties that Kisara had preformed for him and Mokuba.

He had woken up one morning with a fresh pot of black coffee waiting on his bed stand.

Books and papers that had been scattered and stacked around his office and various rooms when he was working on something were picked up and stacked neatly or shelved. Somehow, the ones he needed that day where always right where he left them.

Taking Mokuba out for walks and trips to the arcade and helping him with his homework.

Walking into the kitchen to find that his school things were all prepared.

A rip in one of his trench coats sewn shut after he forgot about it while working late.

At the time, Seto couldn't for the life of him figure why she was doing all this. How could anyone just do what Kisara was doing and not expect anything for it in return?

It was like she always been there. A woman he had rescued off the street was fitted neatly into the Kaiba household without him even noticing. Of course, his little brother had been more observant…

TTTTTTTTT

"_Hey, Seto. When are you going to take Kisara out on a date?"_

"_What?" Kaiba paused, his hand halfway to the stack of cards he had just__ bought. Both he and Mokuba were at home, relaxing. Well, Mokuba was by watching TV. Seto didn't relax. Rather, he just went from 'very important work' to 'semi-important work.'. In this case, it was modifying his dueling deck. "Why would I do something li__ke that?"_

_-Click-. The channel changed, showing a two sky-scraper sized mechas slugging it out in space. "Because you like her."_

"_Don't be ridiculous." Seto picked up his Ryu-Kishin Powered and set it aside before thumbing through the stack of new cards to fi__nd a replacement._

_-Click- Now it showed five heroes wearing primary-colored suits fighting a creature made entirely out of eyeballs. "Then why do always watch when she's in the room?"_

"_I don't."__ Tyrant Dragon. Hmm…not a bad idea. He slid it into place. "There's no reason for me to do __such a thing."_

_-Click- A strange yellow-rodent was running around, lighting crackling around it. "Uh-huh. I'm not blind, big brother. You always watch Kisara. And you aren't as focused on your work when she's not around."_

_A snort of disbelief. "Right, Mokuba." Power Wall…too costly to use in his deck. He set it aside._

_-Click- A man with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek crossed swords with a man covered in bandages. "Seto…just ask her out. What's wrong with dating a girl for once?"_

"_I've got more important things to worry about then pointless things like romance." He scooped the deck together and shuffled it a couple of times._

_-Click- Now a man was tapping a device on his chest, asking to be beamed up. "Big brother, don't you like girls?"_

"_Only when they aren't being pointless, which is most of them." Placing the deck face-down in front of him, he drew the top card and smirked. Blue-Eyes._

_-Click- A figure in dark armor twirled a red energy sword as he fought. "Kisara is not useless! She's been a big help with my homework! Even my tutors say I've improved!"_

"_Well, then she's good for something."_

"_Who's good for something?"_

_Both Kaiba brothers glanced at the doorway as Kisara entered, carrying a tray full of steaming mugs. "Who wants hot chocolate?"_

"_Wow! Thanks, Kisara!" Mokuba hopped up and grabbed a mug off the tray. "You even put little marshmallows in it!"_

_Kisara smiled at him. "I knew you'd like it." She walked over to Kaiba and handed him a mug, which he accepted with an idle nod before returning to his deck. "Now what's this about someone being good for something?"_

"_Oh that?" Mokuba took a drink of his hot chocolate. "Seto just wanted to ask you for a date."_

_Seto nearly spat out his hot chocolate on his precious Blue-Eyes White Dragons._

_The blue-haired woman almost dropped the tray in surprise, but caught herself. "What did you just say?"_

"_He's just being obnoxious." Seto told her quickly, glaring at his little brother__, who smiled innocently in return. "Don't mind him."_

"_Oh…okay…" Kisara turned away to hide her blush. "Ah! Mokuba! You've got chocolate all over your face!" She set the tray down and pulled a handkerchief out, kneeling down to wipe his face clean._

_The CEO turned back to his stack of cards, trying to convince himself that this little incident was over._

TTTTTTTTT

Of course, it wasn't. That conversation had sparked a little worm in Kaiba's brain, one that had remained niggling at the back of his mind no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it.

It grew a little when he and Mokuba found a 'thank-you' letter, written in curvy gentle handwriting on the table one morning, along with their favorite breakfast.

It turned into an itch when, a week or so later, he found himself hiring her as his new secretary after his old one had quite because of the huge amount of paperwork. Yet Kisara never complained and somehow managed to get it all completed well before he finished his, remaining cheerful all the while.

The itch grew more persistent when he went to the National Championship tournament to unwind by beating up on some lesser duelists and he somehow managed to pick her out of the crowd during everyone of his duels.

Finally, after several weeks of small niceties and quiet encouragement, Seto finally admitted to himself that he had developed an amount of affection for the blue-haired young woman, something he usually reserved for Mokuba.

Still, he tried to convince himself that it was because he'd never had a mother, or any caring women, offering caring or affection before and it was a natural reaction.

And it worked…at least until that report he'd received from his PR department….

TTTTTTTTT

"_Are you absolutely sure?"_

"_Yes, Mister Kaiba." The lean man dressed in a business __suit glanced down at the clipboard in his hands again. "According to recent reports, sales are up nearly 60% since Miss Kisara has started working at here."_

"_How's that possible? She's my secretary, not a sales clerk. It's unlikely that she could have such__ an effect." Kaiba leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together. "Go back and look for underlying causes."_

"_Yes sir." The PR man left, leaving the CEO alone with his thoughts. After several moments, he pressed a button the intercom. "Kisara, __I need you in my office immediately."_

"_Of course." Her voice responded. A few moments later, the door opened and she stepped inside. "What is it that you need?"_

"_Have a seat."_

_As Kisara sat down, Seto noticed how at ease her posture was. It was something of a marvel. Most people who were called into his office barely kept themselves from trembling with anxiety. Even the most resolute of employees fought to prevent their hand from shaking._

_But not her. No, she sat in the chair, looking for the entire world his equal and not his employee. Soft blue eyes blinked once as she looked at him expectantly. Her stray strands of her silver/blue hair moved gently in the current of air from the room's heater. Her business suit, custom fit and well-filled out by her ample chest, rose and fell in time to her breathing…_

_Giving himself a mental scowl and pushing such traitorous thoughts out of his mind, Seto pushed a manila fold across his desk. "I've just gotten a report from PR that you've somehow boosted KaibaCorp sales by more than half in the last few months. Can you give me a reasonable explanation?"_

_Kisara picked up the folder and open it, scanning the contents inside, her eyebrows rising. Closing the folder, she set it back down, murmuring, "I didn't realize my work was having such an effect…"_

"'_Work?' Kaiba queried. "What kind of work?"_

_She glanced away slightly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "During my days off…and when you or Mokuba don't need me…I go down to the local orphanages and soup kitchens and help out…"_

"_You help out."__ He repeated neutrally. Kaiba really didn't have an opinion on doing such charitable acts, as they never really affected him save for the occasional multi-company yearly donation to the __Red Cross or 'Save the Whales' or whatever was the big non-profit orga__nization a__t the time. "Is that all you do__?"_

"_And I make some donations…" She began to pick at the hem of her dress skirt._

"_Donations." Kaiba said and laced his hands atop his desk. "How much do you donate?"_

"_The last one…" She paused as she thought about__ it. "Was about…thirty thousand dollars."_

"_Thirty thousand?" The CEO was surprised for once. "Where'd you get that kind of money__?__!"_

"_It's my paycheck!" Kisara glanced up him quickly, her eyes somewhere between worried and defiant. "I really don't have any u__se for it since I live with you and Mokuba besides buying myself a few personal things…the two of you always everything you need at home and I know what it's like to be poor and hungry, so I thought…" Her voice trailed off and she glanced down at her lap a__gain, falling silent._

_Kaiba did some mental math and realized that she was right. KaibaCorp paid even its lowliest employees well above the national average and Kisara had never seemed to be the kind to care about having a lot of money anyway. Hell, if she only bought personal necessities and spent about three percent of her paycheck per month, the remaining ninety-seven percent-when combined together over the last several months, would leave her a hefty amount of loose change._

_But he donated millions to charities only a yearly basis and his PR usually remained more or less the same. So where had the extra boost come from…?_

_Then his gaze fell on Kisara and he knew he had his answer. "I take you interact with a lot of the people at the orphanages and kitchens?"_

_Kisara looked at him, her eyes relieved that he hadn't started yelling at her or fired her. Yet. "Yes. Most of the people work there are very nice and they all say I'm one of the prettiest and nicest helpers they've ever had…" She flushed with the memory of the praise. "When they asked where I was getting the money from, I…I didn't know what to say, so I told them I worked for Seto Kaiba and he wanted to help out privately, because of what had happened to him and his little brother when they were children…" She clenched her skirt tightly and looked with him, blue eyes shining wetly. "I'm so sorry. Please don't be angry at me."_

_Kaiba was silent for a long time as he looked at her levelly. Finally, he stood up and walked out from behind his desk to stand next to her. "Don't apologize." As she gaped at him, he continued. "We pay you for the job you do. What you do with the money afterwards is your choice. And as for what happened to Mokuba and I, that's public knowledge for anyone who'd want to know. If they want to think that you're doing this out of the kindness of my heart, let them. It doesn't bother me." Then he started for the door and was stopped when a pair of cool hands grasped his own._

_He turned and saw Kisara still seated and looking at him with a strange look her face. It was so gentle and kind and apologetic at the same time… "Seto, please forgive me. I know you didn't care about what I did with the money, but I should have told that I was donating it in your name and that I was telling people about your past. I know hard you try to forget it and try to give Mokuba everything he needs. But I didn't tell you and now I've brought you some bad memories and I am very sorry that I did so." She smiled at him. "Will you forgive me?"_

_Her smile was affecting him strangely…Kaiba felt a lump forming in his throat and an odd feeling welling his chest. He looked away and said gruffly, "I already told you, don't apologize. I don't care what you do with yourself in your spare time."_

"_Oh, Seto…" She gave hi__s hand soft squeeze before releasing it. Standing up, she looked at him, __something in her eyes that Kaiba had never seen before and yet knew immediately what it was. "Thank you."_

"_Next time you want to play with PR, though, just ask them to give you a budg__et. There's no need for you to spend your own money like that." He muttered, desperately trying to convince himself that what he saw in her eyes was something that he didn't so badly want from her._

"_If I didn't spend my own money, it wouldn't have any mean__ing." She smiled warmly at him and then suddenly leaned, her lips brushing softly against cheek. "Thank you…" Then she was gone, hastily walking out his office._

_Kaiba stared after for the longest time and wondered when someone had stuck him on this screwed-up roller coaster. And he wondered why he didn't want to get off…_

TTTTTTTTT

It had taken Kaiba nearly two weeks to work out what that incident meant to him and what it meant to her.

After some helpful hints from Mokuba:

His computer's screensaver mysteriously changing itself from a picture of the KaibaCorp logo to the question: "Why haven't you asked her on a date yet?"

A painstakingly built and hand-painted remote control helicopter hovering outside his office window with the same question painted onto the side.

During a duel simulation against himself (the only person besides Yugi he found challenging.), when he summoned out the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, an image of Kisara appeared instead and waved at him before blowing him a kiss. It had taken him five solid minutes of threats, firings and pay cuts to the techs watching the duel to stop laughing.

Mokuba had marched into his office during business hours and announced that he, as the Vice-President, would be going on strike until his brother, the CEO, would answer his question.

Finally, Kaiba decided to humor his little brother so that incessant questioning would stop. He admitted to himself that he found Kisara quite attractive and that she was a damn sight better than the usual girls who threw themselves at him…

And promptly moved onto a different train of thought, telling himself that he had exhausted the previous one.

But, of course, was not true and so Kaiba decided to take a chance and follow his little brother's advice.

He asked Kisara out on a date, in his own inimitable fashion.

TTTTTTTTT

"_So you take the reminder and move __it __down here and repeat the process…" Kisara and Mokuba sat huddled around a math book as the former taught the latter the intricate of art of Algebra__,__ when Kaiba walked into the study._

"_Oh…" Mokub__a scratched the side of his head with his pencil. "I keep forgetting that step." He sighed as he erased his problems and started again. "I'm never going to get this."_

_Kisara smiled reassuringly at him and patted him on the head. "Of course you will. You just have to keep at it." Catching sight of Kaiba, she slid the math book Mokuba's direction. "Here, do all the even problems and when I get done talking to your brother, I'll look over them for you."_

"_Awww…" Mokuba groaned. "Why can't I do the odd problems?__"_

"_Because their answers are in the back of book and you won't learn anything by looking." She replied cheerily and Mokuba sulked a little. Turing to the CEO, Kisara clasped her hands in front of her. "What can I do for you?"_

"_Put on your coat." He told he__r while mentally reminding himself of his plan and handing her the long coat she had bought.. (Short and to the point. Otherwise you'll screw this up, thanks to these damn feelings you get when you see her.)_

"_Put on my coat." She blinked at him. "Why?"_

"_We__'re going."_

"_Going where?"_

"_Out."_

"_Out…"_

"_Out."_

"_Out…"__ She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "And where are we going to when we go 'out'?"_

_He gestured at her with her coat and she took it. "The Rising Star."_

"_The Rising Star?" Kisara slipped the coat on and looked at him expectantly. "The restaurant?"_

"_Yes." Kaiba gestured towards the door. "We need to leave now. The limo is waiting and our reservations are in an hour."_

"_Okay…" She trailed out the door, glancing back at him. "Why?"_

"_Because I said so."_

"_Hmm…" A slim finger tapped against her soft lips. "__Works for me." Then she disappeared out the door and down the hallway._

_Kaiba turned towards his little brother and scowled at the large grin his sibling had. "We will back around midnight. Finish your homework and get to bed at a reasonable hour. And wipe that grin off your face. You look like an idiot."_

_As he turned and followed after Kisara, Kaiba heard a cell phone being whipped out and a number being punched in, followed by:_

"_Hey, Yugi? Tell Joey and Tristan that they each owe me fifty bucks."_

TTTTTTTTT

With no experience at dating firsthand and nothing else to go off of save the research he had done on romance, it was a horrible disaster.

But it was also one of the best experiences of his life.

Kisara had easily seen through his inexperience and surprisingly, had been very touched by his effort at a real 'date' with her while Kaiba found it was nice just being with her.

The night was something of a warm, pleasant blur to him nowadays…He remembered how that conversation had flowed easily between them, with Kisara gently teasing him and making him give up small smiles of real happiness or coaxing a secret or two out him. The food was eaten, but out of tradition more than anything else. They didn't need any ice-breakers or jump-starts.

It just happened.

After that night, their romance 'just happened' as well, although it was far from what many would call traditional. Romantic, candlelight dinners were sparse, few and far in between. Instead, their courtship was built on moments talking in his office about the direction the company was headed in.

Or long nights spent working on the Blue-Eyes White Jet, with him covered in grease and a wrench and pliers in hand as he stowed himself in the jet's innards while she sat on a crate, munching on the cookies she always brought for them to snack on and mentioned to him that talking to inanimate objects usually didn't do anything to help.

Sitting next one another in the mansion's library as he read stock reports and business news while she curled up at his side reading _Archi__e Comics._

The many hours they spent working on his deck together as he explained the basics to the game to her and told of her how he got started while she commented on the fact that this was a definitely a teenager's game, since almost all the female monsters were dressed in skimpy outfits and had chests that would make porn stars jealous.

Taking long walks in Paris, Cairo, New York and London during business trips. They didn't hold hands and he didn't talk, but listened as she rambled about her childhood or anything else that caught her attention at the moment and he found it far more interesting than any advancement in technology or new card that was released.

Kisara flooring a too-pushy heiress at a business conference in Sweden with a single punch and managing to convince everyone else present that it had just been an 'arm spasm.'

Soft, special smiles from her to him…

A dozen rare orchids from him to her…

And thousands and hundreds of so many special moments that Kaiba knew he couldn't remember them all. But he knew they had happened and that was enough for him.

He ran a hand over his eyes wearily and glanced around the still-empty hospital waiting room. Where the hell was that nurse?

Scowling at nothing in particular, Kaiba tried to reassure himself with the fact he'd waited nearly ten months for this moment to happen, so he could wait a little longer.

But he hated this feeling of helplessness that swept over him. He made it a personal vow never to be helpless, no matter what. And while that hadn't always rung true, it was a vow he had mostly kept.

So being here, now was one of the most annoying things he had ever felt. He was Seto flippin' Kaiba! He should be able to do _something! Anything!_

Kaiba swore and punched the wall next to him. He had done something. He'd done everything he could. He gotten to the hospital in record time and hired the best doctors in the world to take care of her. And he'd even offered up a couple of prayers. (Though to who, he wasn't quite sure…)

Now all that he could do was wait…

For some reason, that thought brought a small smile to his lips as a memory pushed its way to the surface, one where waiting had never been necessary. It had been about eight months since he and Kisara had started dating…

TTTTTTTTT

"…_and I want that D__uel Dome built to the specifications __**I **__send you." Kaiba lectured into the phone. __"I'm paying you to build it, not offer 'improvements'. If you can't handle that, then I'll find someone else who can."_

_He glanced up as Kisara strode into his office, not both__ering to knock and with an unusual amount of steel in her strides. Gesturing with a finger for her to wait, he returned to his conversation. "No, I don't __**think **__I can tell you how to do your job. I __**know **__I can tell you how to do your job! And if you think th__at-"_

_Kisara leaned over the desk and grabbed the phone from him. "Listen to me. Do what he says. Do it right. Or you'll be wishing the Devil was on your tail instead of me." She snapped and slammed the phone back into the cradle._

_Kaiba scowled darkly at her. "You better have a good reason as to why you did that. Or I'm going see if my next secretary likes yellow or pink sticky notes on her desk."_

"_I save you a lot of wasted time in talking."__ She told him firmly and then slapped something down on his desk. "Here. This is yours."_

_He glanced down at it and raised an eyebrow. "It's a ring."_

"_Yes. You generally wear them on your finger."_

_The CEO looked at her. "Why would I want a ring?"_

"_Because I__ want you to and I'm wearing one." She held up her hand, revealing the silver-encrusted gold band around her ring finger._

"_That's nice. That still doesn't me why I should wear it."_

"_The ring I'm wearing and that one-" She pointed to the one on the desk. "-__are a matched set, Seto."_

"_Ah…" He leaned back in his chair. "Interesting. Bet that cost a lot more than one would have."_

"_The date is the fourteenth of next month."_

"_Excuse me?" A blink hid his blue eyes momentarily. "What is the fourteenth?"_

"_It'll be he__ld outside, on the cliff a mile south of here. I've already arranged the caterer, music, florist, priest and hired enough security to make sure only the people on our guest list get in. The guest list includes Yugi and his friends, Mokuba, Mai Valentine, t__he Ishtar family and Maximillion Pegasus. All you to do is pick out your party. And yes, Pegasus is coming because I happen to like him and I'm in charge."_

"_Really now." Kaiba smirked at her. "What makes you think that I'm even agreeing to whatever this is__, that you're paying for with my money?"_

"_Seto Kaiba…" Kisara whispered at him, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. "You. Will. Marry. Me. Even if I have to strangle it out of you!"_

_He picked up the ring and stood, coming around his desk and giving her a genuine smile. "All you had to do was ask."_

_She smiled back and carefully slid the ring onto his finger. "I know…but telling you was so much more fun. After all, everyone knows that behind every powerful man, there's a more powerful woman!"_

_They both chuckled at that and then she stepped in closer and kissed him…_

_And kissed him…_

_And kissed him…_

TTTTTTTTT

The day she had walked into his life, Kisara-now Kisara Kaiba- had given him the second greatest gift he ever could have received.

And now today, ten months later after their wedding, she was about to give the greatest gift he could ever receive.

But if only he could be there…

"Mister Kaiba?"

The CEO lifted his head, pulled out of his ruminations as the nurse from before stood in the door. "What is it?"

She smiled at him. "She's woken up. You can go see her-"

Kaiba shot to his feet and dashed past the nurse and down the hallway to his wife's room. Skidding to a stop, he caught the doorframe to keep from falling and pulled himself inside. "Kisara!"

"Shhh!" Laying on the bed, looking tired and exhausted and frail, her pale blue/white hair plastered to her skin, Kisara still managed to look stern as she shushed him. "You'll wake the baby, you idiot!"

Having the sense enough to look at least slightly chagrined, Kaiba quietly made his way over to the chair next to her bed and sat down, grabbing her hand in both of his. "You had me worried…"

"I had _me _worried." She told him seriously. "I'd like to see you try and make it through this…I feel like my bones are powder."

"I'd rather admit that Wheeler is intelligent." He deadpanned at her and she laughed weakly.

A soft cry draw both their attention the bundle tucked neatly in Kisara's other arm. A pair of small arms worked their way free of the blanket and waved in the air, little fingers grasping in the air.

Kisara smiled warmly down at the child in her arms. "Hey, little one. Welcome to the world." She shifted the child so that it could get a look at Seto. "That's your daddy. Don't worry, he's only half as scary as he looks. And if you give him puppy dog eyes, he's like soft putty in your hands."

Kaiba scowled at his other half. "Our child has only been born for less than an hour and you're already undermining my authority."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." She told him smugly. "Besides, our 'child' as you put, is a girl and as we all know, you have no experience with woman at all."

"I got you to marry me!"

"Only for your money." Kisara responded.

"Only the money?"

"Well…" She smiled at him. "And the Blue-Eyes Jet. I love that thing!"

Kaiba's scowl turned into a glower. "You push it so hard that you fried the engine the last time and were forced to make a crashing-landing in the middle of the ocean."

She shrugged at him. "I was two months pregnant at the time. Not my fault."

"Hmmph…" Letting the subject drop, Kaiba reached out his finger and his daughter grabbed onto his finger tightly, staring at him with big blue eyes that she'd obviously inherited from her mother. "Does she have a name?"

"Kairi."

"Kairi Kaiba…" He tested the name out. "Why?"

"Why not?"

Kaiba looked at the small bundle of life in his wife's arms and felt himself smile in spite of himself, a warm feeling welling in his chest. "Yes, indeed…Why not?"

And Seto Kaiba finally felt complete.

TTTTTTTTT

A/N: This was actually the very first story I ever wrote for , but I didn't finish it and only now got back to it. Anyway, it's my first one-shot as it were. Who knows, if I get enough positive response, I may continue it.

But I love this story anyway. I'm a big fan of Kaiba/Kisara…they just seem made for each other…

Ahhh, I'm a hopeless romantic.

By the way, brownie points to anyone who can guess all the shows Mokuba channel-surfed through!


End file.
